Sound Recording Industries

Closing The Colony: A Visit To Times Square's Shuttering Sheet Music Outpost

In some ways, the Friday before last looked like business as usual at Colony Records, the venerable Theater District music-and-sheet-music retailer that recently announced its impending closing after 64 years of operation. At the counter, Warren Tesoro, an employee for 25 years, asked a middle-aged ... More >>

Millennial Music: A Look at How DIY Technology is Changing the Game Forever

Open. Click. Send. In a matter of seconds, Max Schieble's pre-recorded vocal track from America appears in the e-mail inbox of his bandmate Danny Lentz, who is currently abroad in Paris. Lentz receives the file, pulls out a violin and plays his part from memory. The file is sent back over to Schiebl ... More >>

100 & Single: fun., Gotye, Carly Rae Jepsen, And The Era Of The Snowball Smash

If you're a pop fan, I'm going to guess you like at least one of the last three No. 1 songs in America. In many ways, 2012 has been an entertaining year for discriminating chart-watchers, as a slew of left-field singles have made strides on Billboard's Hot 100. I've met people who love fun.'s "We A ... More >>

Q&A: VP Records' Patricia Chin, Olivier Chastan, And Neil "Diamond" Edwards On Running Their Queens Reggae Powerhouse

VP Records is the Jamaica, Queens-based powerhouse of the international reggae scene. It owns and distributes a score of other labels including its longtime rival, Greensleeves. Founded by Vincent "Randy" Chin (who died in 2003) and his wife, Patricia—children of Chinese immigrants to Jamaica ... More >>

100 & Single: "Call Me Maybe," Justin Bieber, And Teenpop Idols' Ongoing Love-Hate Relationship With Radio

After three weeks of patiently waiting at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100, Carly Rae Jepsen this week became the first solo female Canadian since Céline Dion to top America's premier song chart. Right on schedule for the start of summer, the ubiquitous "Call Me Maybe" finally climbs into the penthouse ... More >>

Do BitTorrents Bolster Music Sales?

Though record labels have often claimed that piracy threatens artists, a new study suggests that unauthorized file-sharing via BitTorrent might not hurt music sales: in fact, it might boost them. Economist Robert Hammond, of North Carolina State University, gathered data music album download data f ... More >>

100 & Single: Gotye And fun. Help Alternative Rock Go Pop Once Again

Consider this six-pack of rock acts: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Big Audio Dynamite, the Psychedelic Furs, U2, R.E.M. and Julian Cope. My dream Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Not quite—it's a list of the first six artists to go to No. 1 on the chart Billboard launched in the fall of 1988, then call ... More >>

Navigating Stephin Merritt's Many Shades of Dry

Welcome to the droll house

Radio Hits One: Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, And The Era Of The Hit Bonus Track

Superstar pals and Young Money labelmates Lil Wayne and Drake released two of the biggest albums of 2011—Tha Carter IV and Take Care—and both are still spinning off hits well into 2012. But a look at the singles charts reveals something odd: the biggest current hits off both albums aren' ... More >>

'The Club House Party' w/ Anthony Parasole+Jus-Ed

Live: David Murray Brings The Sounds Of Pre-Castro Cuba To The Skirball Center

K. Leander Williams/tru2blupix​David Murray Cuban Ensemble Skirball Center at NYU Thursday, November 17 Better than: Contemplating State Department travel restrictions. There's a complex irony in the timing of tenor saxist David Murray's latest foray into Cuban music. We're currently smack ... More >>

100 & Single: You Can Keep Your EGOT; Adele's Going For A 2011 PB&G

​The lady sitting atop both of Billboard's major lists this week has made enough news in 2011 that I'm tempted to rename this column "This Week in Adele." The British thrush is certainly making enough sad news these days, canceling her tour and preparing to undergo much-needed throat surgery. ... More >>

100 & Single: The Erratic Chart Fortunes Of TV-Crowned Idols, From Kelly To Scotty

​Scotty McCreery—winner of the 10th edition of American Idol, and owner of the new No. 1 title on Billboard's album chart, Clear as Day—sets a handful of chart records this week that certainly sound impressive. As Billboard reports, McCreery is the first country act to debut at No ... More >>

100 & Single: The Dawning Of The MTV Era And How It Rocket-Fueled The Hot 100

​What was the first rock and roll song? Ask music historians and you'll get a range of '40s and early '50 candidates, from "Good Rockin' Tonight" to "Rocket 88." Ah, but when did the Rock Era begin? That's easier. Everybody knows that Bill Haley and His Comets' rendition of "Rock Around the C ... More >>

The First Of Silent Barn's Barnraisers Is Tonight, And "Special Guests" Are Involved

The temporarily-on-hiatus venue Silent Barn has just passed the $30,000 mark in their Kickstarter campaign to rebuild the Ridgewood venue after it was burglarized and ransacked earlier this month. Those people looking to donate funds while away from their computers can now engage in some philanthro ... More >>

100 & Single: Lady Gaga Gets Ready To Join The Million-Weeker Club

​The phrase "the calm before the storm" appears in virtually every chart-related story this week. That's because the latest edition of the Billboard 200, which covers sales from the week ending May 22, is topped by Adele's 21. That album is No. 1 for the ninth and (presumably) final week befor ... More >>

Latin Jazz Heavyweights Protest Grammy Snub

​The scene outside the New York Institute of Technology Auditorium Monday night suggested a Latin jazz celebration; pianist Eddie Palmieri, pianist/bandleader Larry Harlow, drummer Bobby Sanabria, trombonist Chris Washburne, and trumpeter Brian Lynch milled about. But this wasn't a concert, no ... More >>

The Great 2011 Grammy Postmortem: Even If Arcade Fire Made It, "We" Probably Didn't (Right?)

This picture is from Arcade Fire's Tumblr, where it's captioned "Win jumping up and down, thanking the world." Because why wouldn't it be?​Radiohead may have already surpassed last night's Grammys as the au currant news of an indie-rock world that is all of a sudden drowning in good tidings, b ... More >>

Q&A: Ninja Tune Co-Founder Matt Black Celebrates 20 Years Of Music Industry Survival

Ninja Tune: Matt Black is the dude on the right. Photo by Steve Double.​At The Lock Tavern, a North London pub, Matt Black is finishing a beer and taking a respite from the recent frenzy of activity around Ninja Tune, the influential UK label he co-founded 20 years ago with Jonathan More. He's ... More >>

Bomb the Music Industry

We Just Survived the Worst Week For Music Sales In All of SoundScan History

This is the third most popular record in the country right now. ​So, one more qualification for Arcade Fire's still pretty respectable #2 this week: they snagged it amidst the worst seven days in SoundScan history. The industry managed to move a paltry 4.95 million units last week, a number th ... More >>

The-Dream Sold 58,000 Copies of Love King

​The-Dream's Love King--by our own Rob Harvilla's estimation, the r&b auteur's "third-straight deliriously triumphant solo album"--debuts at #4 on the Billboard charts this week, selling 58,000 copies of a record that's about a third as good as last year's Love Vs. Money (which, whaddya know, ... More >>

True Panther Strikes a Blow For Indie Labels Everywhere

​The above twitpic is happily accompanied, on Twitter, by True Panther's take on the situation: "ATTN: Major labels- our records aren't for sale. Glad you like the music though!" One would have to be an exceptionally buffoonish A&R to send such a nakedly stupid email, but then again, it's not ... More >>

Freaks Of The Industry II: Wednesday's CMJ Panels, Cynically Summarized

It still holds up. Yesterday's installment was apparently helpful, so: CMJ has a ton of afternoon music-industry panels. Here's Wednesday's lineup. Join us now as we distill them to their respective essences.

Freaks Of The Industry: An Unnecessarily Sassy User's Guide To Tuesday's Slate Of CMJ Panels

​CMJ starts today. There are too many goddamn shows. I can't make any sense of it. Here you go. Good luck. Of greater interest at the moment is the fest's daily glut of afternoon panels, wherein folks in the music industry attempt to convince those hoping to get into the music industry that th ... More >>

'Mister Saturday Night'

Prince Will Audit Until the Last Copy of Purple Rain Is Counted

This teaser clip for Prince's appearance on next week's Tavis Smiley show starts casually enough, with Prince explaining the meaning behind new song "Feel Good, Feel Great, Feel Wonderful"--"It's about telling folks to celebrate and stop hating." But it turns out that's not at all what the song is ... More >>

Rescued Singer Ruins Flight 1549 With God, Dance Song

Two weeks ago Bill O'Reilly and a passenger who hinted that he'd like some money threatened to spoil our Flight 1549 buzz. The passenger got named and shamed and appears to be laying low, and no one cares what O'Reilly thinks. But what greed and stupidity could not tarnish, careerism and religion mi ... More >>

The Mixtape Will Save Us All

If you want them to buy it, make it free

Meet the Web Sheriff

Fighting music piracy via ominous blog comments and pre-written apologies

Mel Cheren Memorial

American Idol's Overdog Status

Seoul Train

A Korean pop mogul with a thing for Berry Gordy has invaded New York, and he's brought a stable of potential stars with him

Luscious Jackson: Better Than You Remember

Don't Touch the Monkey: Another Uncool Sitcom Tries to Be Hip

Never Ending Math Equation

After the court decision, file shares and mixtapes float on

Mixed Up

Bust at Mondo Kim's exposes record-industry hypocrisy

Gropus Dei

Rock's unincarcerated Lady of Guadalupe awaits sainthood

Riddims by the Reggaetón

Puerto Rico's hip-hop hybrid takes over New York

100 Hottest Hotties

Sex Drive Outpaces Death Drive as the Biz Goes Down the Toilet

The Long Road Home

The World’s Biggest Country Duo Risk Backlash With a Great Rock Album

The Last Hypocrite

Hip-Hop Goes Commercial

Rappers Give Madison Avenue a Run for Its Money

Music

Music

Sticker Shock

The FTC Markets Censorship as Consumer Protection

Doomsday in the MP3 Wars

Excavating Stoned Metal From the Internet

Royal Paeans in the Ass

Cheeky White-Chick Rapper Princess Superstar Minds Her Own Business, Butts Into Yours

Are We The World?

Global Music in the U.S. Faces the 21st Century

It takes two